The role
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced economic development professional to join Southwark’s Local Economy Team as Employment & Skills Manager. You will provide leadership on the delivery of the council’s Economic Strategy in respect of employment and skills, and be the council’s principal advisor and lead officer for the delivery of effective partnership arrangements to support key Council Delivery Plan priorities in this area.
You will work with the Head of Economy on the development, implementation and review of the Council’s strategies including Economic Strategy 2023-30 and the Southwark Skills Plan. You will work in partnership to develop, implement and evaluate programmes of delivery and commission activity on employment and skills.
The role will be the lead officer within the Council for developing an effective council-wide framework on employment and skills. You will liaise with and be the key contact for the Council with government departments, external strategic partners’ other bodies and agencies to build and maintain networks of strategic influence that create a positive impact on the Council’s approach to supporting the local economy.
About you:
You will be an experienced economic development professional with a passion for putting our communities at the heart of everything that we do. You will be dynamic, strategic and able to develop innovative solutions to key labour market challenges. An understanding of the key economic, political, and social issues that affect communities in Southwark, and the role of local government in this context is a must.
You will have experience managing teams in a large complex organisation with a strong focus on delivering outcomes for communities and businesses. You will be managing significant programmes of policy and strategy including our economic and skills strategies. You will also be required to manage significant commissioning budgets in the context of competing demands and tight financial limits.
Success in building and sustaining effective relationships with political stakeholders, senior officers and representatives of government, statutory agencies, commercial or community organisations and/or other local authority partner organisations will be required.
About Southwark:
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.
Additional details
This post attracts an additional JNC financial benefits package of £2,724 per annum (pro-rata April-March).
Benefits and more information:
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme:
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
Recruitment timetable
Closing Date: 18 February 2024 at 23:59
Interview and Assessment Date: 12 March 2024
SWCHTF
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
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